Red Alert on Suicide

Depression carries a high risk of suicidal intention. Anybody who expresses suicidal thoughts or intentions should be taken very seriously. The best way to minimize the risk of suicide is to know the risk factors and to recognize the warning signs of suicide. Take these signs seriously. Know how to respond to them. It could save someone’s life.

Prevalence of Suicide

Suicide is a potentially preventable public health problem; millions of people attempted suicides, according to the Centers for Disease Control.Men take their lives nearly four times the rate of women, accounting for 79% of suicides.

Suicidal Risk Factors

Risk factors for suicide vary by age, gender, and ethnic group. And risk factors often occur in combinations. Over 90% of people who die by suicide have clinical depression or another diagnosable mental disorder. Many times, people who die by suicide have an alcohol or substance abuse problem. Often they have that problem in combination with other mental disorders.